Wild Mushroom Duxelles

Yield: approximately 2 cups

Rehydrate the dried mushrooms by placing them in a bowl with enough boiling water to cover. Allow to sit for 15-20 minutes. Strain, reserving ½ cup of the liquid. Give the mushrooms a light squeeze to get rid of all the water. Chop finely.

Over medium heat, sweat the shallots in butter until translucent; reduce the heat to medium-low and mix in the fresh and dried mushrooms, dried thyme, garlic and 1 teaspoon salt. Allow the mixture to cook, undisturbed until the mushrooms begin to release their water (5 minutes). Increase the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring constantly, until the water has completely evaporated and the mixture is just beginning to colour (5 minutes).

Deglaze with white wine, and cook until almost dry. Then add the reserved mushroom liquid and cook until almost dry. Pour in the cream, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer rapidly until the mixture reduces enough to coat the back of a spoon (5-7 minutes). Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Use immediately, or remove the mixture to a plate or shallow bowl and spread to an even layer to cool rapidly. The mushrooms will absorb the cream as it cools, leaving you with a spread like consistency. Keeps in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Tips:

* If you have the cheesecloth and the inclination, strain the mushroom liquid through the cloth to remove the sand that is always there when you soak dried mushrooms.
* You can make a great mushroom cream sauce for pasta with this method – increase the cream to make it more saucy and finish with Parmesan.
* I substituted Sherry for the white wine, because that’s what I had. Vermouth would also work in a pinch.
* Although I didn’t include it in the recipe, but I finished the duxelles with about 2 Tablespoons of glace de viande for extra richness. If, for some reason, you have some leftover glace de viande or demi glace, toss it in!